Gregg Berhalter is far from the first Major League Soccer coach to see potential in Tony Tchani,
but he might be the first to figure out how to harness it.

Now in his fifth season in MLS, Tchani, who turns 25 on April 13, is showing signs of growing
into the consistent box-to-box midfielder Berhalter’s system needs to succeed. But before he could
get there, Tchani needed a shot of confidence after being in and out of the lineup for the past two
seasons.

“Gregg puts so much confidence in me and tells me just to play my game, never worrying about if
I make a mistake,” Tchani said. “I just have to keep my head up. This system that we’re playing, I’m
more comfortable and I can move around and not be just static, just being in one spot. That’s not
my game.”

As one of the Crew’s two defensive midfielders, Tchani has paired with Wil Trapp to help serve
as conduits between the defense and the attack. Trapp’s role is more defensive, and Tchani pushes
forward and works underneath attacking midfielder/second forward Federico Higuain.

Last season, Tchani played in 22 games, including 13 starts. After starting seven games during
the early portion of the schedule, he did not return to the lineup for 14 straight games before
starting the final six. It was enough to show Berhalter that Tchani was a player worth keeping
around as he assessed the roster and brought in new players.

“With a new coach coming in talking to you, being like, ‘I want more out of you,’ it makes you
think about giving your all for this team,” Tchani said. “I feel like the way he talks to the
players makes you feel comfortable. If it doesn’t go my way, I will just work hard and help the
team win.”

Berhalter said Tchani’s 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame makes him a formidable presence in the middle
of the field.

“I would say he’s one of the better defending central midfielders in the league,” Berhalter
said. “You can’t get by him. It’s amazing. I think he’s really good; it’s just getting him to
believe that, as well. He can be a dominant player in this league.”

Trapp and Tchani credited the Crew’s new possession-based approach for bringing out some of the
best in Tchani’s play this season.

“I think it’s just a style that fits the way he plays and he’s more comfortable,” Trapp said. “
He knows his role, and within that, he can take it and run with it. He’s got immense talent and all
the physical capabilities that you need in that position. He’s been very consistent and very
strong.”

It hasn’t all been roses. Tchani struggled alongside many of his teammates in the first half of
last weekend’s victory against Seattle, a half in which the Crew continuously turned the ball over
and fell behind for the first time all season before rallying.

Even then, though, Berhalter’s halftime message was one of confidence — as Tchani said it has
been all season.

“Gregg is a little bit different because even people that are not playing, he’s always talking
to them, always checking on them,” he said. “That will always make you feel like you’re almost
there, you just have to keep working hard and once you get your chance I’m going to take it.”